LOWER HOUSE MPS DISCUSS ICTY'S JURISDICTION OVER "FLASH", "STORM"

ZAGREB, April 14 (Hina) - Croatian National Parliament benches of the six ruling party coalition at the House of Representatives, as well as the national minority bench at Friday's discussion endorsed the Government's draft declaration on Croatia's cooperation with the Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), while the opposition questioned the Tribunal's jurisdiction over Croatian military and police operations "Flash" and "Storm". We are for the punishment of crimes, but let Croatian courts do so, Vladimir Seks said on behalf of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party bench. The Hague-based Tribunal cannot have authority over these actions because documents on "Flash" and "Storm" are being sought to get insight into the plans, actions and issued commands to establish the line of objective responsibility of the most senior military and political representatives for possible crimes during the operations, Seks said. By such a line of objective responsibility the ICTY read General Tihomir Blaskic a draconian sentence. Moreover, in explaining the verdict in the Blaskic trial, it was said Croatia had carried out an aggression and occupation of Bosnia-Herzegovina. We do not agree with this, and such assessments are not within the jurisdiction of the Tribunal, he asserted. Furthermore, we cannot accept the claim that Croatia had so far not cooperated with the ICTY, and had thus been brought into international isolation, Seks said. He requested that the Government's draft declaration be amended in that Croatia does not accept responsibility for any aggression on Bosnia-Herzegovina and that this had not been an international conflict. Anto Djapic of the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) agreed with Seks. This was not an aggression, it was a struggle for sheer existence and Croatia needed to react, he said. We must cooperate with The Hague, but the cooperation must be reviewed, Djapic concluded. The Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) bench fully supports the elaboration by First deputy Prime Minister Goran Granic, Drazen Budisa said. He held the former government's political stance that only they had created the state and maintained the dignity of the Homeland War, while all others were working against that, as very damaging. The Tribunal has no jurisdiction over the "Flash" and "Storm" operations, but over crimes committed, he asserted. He advocated that the section on collective responsibility of an entire people should be omitted from the declaration's preamble, as he held such a responsibility cannot exist. Let us do everything to find common ground and jointly adopt the declaration, Budisa said. The Social Democratic Party (SDP) bench opposes the right of anyone accusing Croatia as a state or the Croatian people for possible crimes, Mato Arlovic said. Also, he added, the party bench dismisses the right of any perpetrator of such acts to say he had done so on behalf of the Republic of Croatia, the Croatian people and all citizens. Arlovic expressed support for the idea that representatives of party benches and the Government meet to ameliorate parts of the text of the declaration and adopt it by consensus. The Lower House will continue its session on Friday afternoon with an individual debate on the draft declaration. (hina) lml